


Growing Pains

by CoronaAustralis



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 03:56:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7997707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoronaAustralis/pseuds/CoronaAustralis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Albus's sixteenth birthday unleashes a set of powers even he didn't know he possessed. They allow him to see things before they happen, or sometimes after they happen, or even during. The problem is, he can't tell the difference. And he also can't let anyone find out, especially if a vision hits too close to home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Long Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I got the idea for this work from a friend in my writing class. I'm still working on another Scorbus fic, and I'm a college student, so bear with me as updates may be slow. Fair warning, this will spoil Harry Potter and the Cursed Child if you haven't read it, since it's supposed to take place after the events of the latest book. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Albus awoke with a start, trembling and sobbing. He looked over and over the edge of his bed. He had just had the nightmare which had been plaguing his mind ever since the night of his sixteenth birthday, but this time it took a twist for the worse. Judging by the hour at which he went to bed and the lack of light streaming through the window, it was still not morning, although he would have to go outside into the main hall to see the antique clock which hung above his brother James's bedroom. His sister, Lily had always complained about that, but Albus never saw reason to whine about not having an old slab of wood which ticked rather loudly right outside his room. It probably wouldn't do much good for his nightmares either, he thought. 

Before, it had always been the same. After it seemed like he had only just shut his eyes, he would find himself in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom on the first floor of Hogwarts. Myrtle, however, was no where to be seen. Seconds later, Draco, or Mr. Malfoy as he was known to Albus would walk in. Mr. Malfoy looked pale and sickly. His hair was much shorter than Albus had ever seen it in real life, and he was hunched over the sink, crying. Suddenly, lights flashed everywhere and before Albus knew it he saw his dad whip out his wand and call out a spell he didn't recognize. He had told Scorpius about the dream, who had suggested asking Mr. Potter directly, but Albus didn't think that was such a brilliant idea. His dad was quite closed up about anything regarding using magic in fights and rarely, if ever, talked about his own experience. 

The dream started out like it had all the previous nights. Mr. Malfoy came in crying over the sink, there were flashes of lights, his father cast the spell. This time, he saw where the flashes were coming from. It was his dad, Harry Potter, who had been the opponent during the duel. He cast the final spell, and Mr. Malfoy was on the ground, blood flowing from his chest, before it all went black and Albus woke up. 

The dreams didn't usually last this long, but the conditions were the same. Albus was never able to speak or move, or be seen or heard, he assumed since he doubted that his dad would dual Scorpius's in a bathroom while he stood there watching. Then again, he couldn't believe they would dual at all, let alone that his father could cast such an ugly spell. Albus always tried to listen for the spell, figure out what it was, but he could never hear it fully. It sounded like "sectus serpant" the first time, and then the time after that he thought he heard "sextum septum". He and Scorpius had scoured the Potter's library that summer, hoping to find a clue as to what the spell was, but they always came up empty. Scorpius promised that before school started, he and Albus could go back to Malfoy Manor and looked through the library there. 

_I have to talk to Scorpius_ , he thought, but then quickly changed his mind. Scorpius was worried about Albus enough when he woke him up in the middle of the night to tell him about the nightmares when no one was getting hurt. Waking him up to tell him he just witnessed the death of his only living parent would destroy him. _I'll wait until he wakes up_ , he decided, once he had gotten up from bed and was standing right outside the room Ginny had prepared for Scorpius to stay in. It was comforting to have his best friend in the room adjacent to his, knowing that if he got up he could walk over to the adjacent room and see the blonde sleeping peacefully. He felt reassured, because he knew that if things got too terrifying that he could wake him up, and they wouldn't even have to talk about what was bothering him. The blonde was more than happy to play a game of wizard's chess at three o'clock in the morning and then go back to sleep, this time with Albus by his side. 

__Scorpius was equally prone to nightmares, especially following the death of his mother, but ever since he had been in that other world, the one without Albus, he had gained a new confidence and was sleeping through the night. Albus envied that kind of bravery. He, on the other hand was the weak little boy who almost destroyed the entire universe by having an affair with Voldemort's daughter. His eyes darted to Scorpius's outstretched hand, in which he was loosely holding onto a piece of parchment. _He must've fallen asleep reading one of his letters _, Albus decided. He walked over and pulled it out of his grasp, seeing that it was a letter from Mr. Malfoy not meaning to read it and setting it on his table, but the final statement caught his eye.___ _

_Scorpius, my dear son,_

_The manor is so boring without you in it over the summer. I've been busying myself with fixing up the gallery, dusting off your great grandparents' portraits and the like. Haven't been getting much sleep, either, because I've been so wrapped up in my home improvement projects. I could easily pass for one of the ghosts at Hogwarts. I finally decided to take down that painting of myself Mother insisted on getting done before before I went back to Hogwarts my third year and replaced it with one of you and your mum when she took you to visit that muggle orphanage in Chelsea. You know, the one from the photograph I put in your Hogwarts trunk? I think she would've liked it, your mother. She wanted to have it painted long ago, but I never got around to it. I was always worried about what your grandparents would think because I saw it as their house even after they moved out. I've made quite a few improvements to the drawing room and my study as well. I'm looking forward to giving you the tour._

_Your father,_  
_Draco Malfoy_

_______P.S: On the topic of rebelling against your grandparents, I've been thinking of breaking the Malfoy tradition and cutting my hair short again like I did in my Hogwarts days. You think it'll suit me?_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Albus gaped at the last line. _Mr. Malfoy wants to cut his hair?_ He trembled once more, and had to bite his tongue to refrain from shaking Scorpius awake. _Not now, _he told himself, _Just wait until morning._ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Slowly, he pulled back the sheet on Scorpius's bed enough for himself and climbed into bed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________\---_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________When Scorpius woke up, he tried to roll over but felt a hard lump next to him and yelped._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Oww, get off me, mate!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Albus shoved his friend off from on top of him and sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "Morning," he said, groggily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Scorpius looked concerned. Apparently, he hadn't inherited Draco's talent for concealing any and all form of emotion. "Al, did you have the dream again?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Albus wouldn't meet his eyes. He stared ahead, tears beginning to show in his eyes. He had almost forgotten about why he had woken up in Scorpius's bed in the first place, and he wanted to stay that way. Draco's letter flashed through his mind for what felt like the millionth time. He was going to cut his hair. The version of Mr. Malfoy from his dream also had short hair, and looked sickly pale. _Lack of sleep will do that to you _, he thought to himself.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"Al? Albus! You didn't answer my question!" He felt Scorpius pull him into a hug, wrapping his arms around his body and stroking his back. He turned his head and cried into the blonde's shoulder. Scorpius rocked back and forth, not letting go of the embrace. "Shh. You don't have to say anything you don't want to. Just please, tell me if you're alright."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Albus didn't want to pull back. Hugging Scorpius sent a warm feeling through his spine, and he felt safe and cared for. He didn't want to say anything, but he knew he had to tell Scorpius about his theory._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"I saw your dad again- and my dad. Scorp, it was awful! They were fighting. It was the two of them who had been dueling _each other_ in the dream all along! I didn't know what to do. Then my dad- h-he he pulled out his wand and used that spell, and then your dad just lay there, dying!" He broke into sobs. Scorpius tightened his arms around him. He didn't know what to say. The way Albus described it, and based on his reaction, it was as if he thought the dream was real. But it wasn't, was it? Mr. Potter, Albus's dad, was probably downstairs making pancakes, while Draco was back at Malfoy Manor cleaning paintings. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________When Albus finally managed to calm down, he pulled out of the hug and tried again. "I don't think these are just dreams, Scorp."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________The blonde raised an eyebrow._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"When I came in here last night, you were holding a letter. I didn't mean to read it, but I saw a line that caught my eye and read the whole thing. When I saw him- your dad, I mean, in the dream, he looked pale and exhausted, and his hair was cut short. I never really gave it much thought, but it can't just be a coincidence!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"I think we've already decided there are no coincidences, Al," Scorpius replied coolly. Apparently he _had_ inherited some of his father's attitude. On the inside, he was terrified. He needed his father. He already lost his mother, and he didn't think that he could survive if he lost his father. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"What do we do? You're the one with the good ideas!" Albus looked right into his eyes, expectantly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"Why not just ask your dad?" he suggested, and as he said it he knew almost immediately that he wanted to take it back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________To his surprise, Albus responded by saying "Yeah, why not ask my dad?" Scorpius stared. "I'm sure that conversation will go great!" continued Albus. "How about we go down to breakfast, and I say 'Good morning, Dad! I'd like my pancakes with bananas and chocolate sauce, please! By the way, we were just wondering, are you planning on murdering Mr. Malfoy when you find him crying in the girl's lavatory on the first floor?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________This earned him a flick to the forehead from Scorpius. "Come on, stop messing around. This is serious! We need to tell my dad."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"Tell him what? That we think my dad is going to kill him while he cries in the girl's lavatory in the first floor?" Albus shook his head. "We need to think of a better plan. We should find out if there's something they're hiding from us."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"Last I checked, our plans don't end very well. Remember the whole time turner thing, where Delphi wanted to kill you so she pretended to be Cedric's cousin, only Cedric didn't have any cousins and then you ceased to exist?" Scorpius folded his arms against his chest. "Al, we don't have a choice. We have to tell my dad." In a lower voice, he said "I can't lose him too."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Albus knew there was nothing he could say that would change the blonde's mind. The extremely attractive, stubborn blonde with beautiful skin and eyes which dazzled in the light- wait, what? He had always thought of Scorpius as good looking, but lately he had been noticing many more things about him, like the way his body looked when he came out of the shower, with a towel hanging from his waste and drops of water all over his body, and the shape of his ears which turned a bright shade of pink when he laughed. Albus pushed these thoughts into the back of his mind. They weren't important. Mr. Malfoy's life was the only thing that mattered right then, for Scorpius. He swallowed. It wasn't just Mr. Malfoy who needed saving. Former Death Eater or not, if his dad killed Mr. Malfoy, he would surely spend the rest of his days rotting in Azkaban. _They could both lose their fathers_ , he thought. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________\---_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Breakfast was more uneventful than ever, in Albus's opinion. He and Scorpius hardly said a word to each other, exchanging glances as Harry piled their plates with pancakes. Thankfully, everyone was so busy listening to James's stories about his various adventures he went on while travelling with his latest girlfriend, Betsy Thomas-Finnigan, that they paid no heed to how unusually quiet the two younger boys were being._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"How are Betsy's parents? I haven't seen them since the wedding and even then we hardly got to talk since Seamus's relatives kept hoarding the both of them!" Ginny asked, once James had finished a particularly amusing story involving a unicorn and a chicken coup._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________James went on to talk about Mr.'s Thomas-Finnigan causing everyone at the table except for Albus and Scorpius to burst into hysterics, laughing until tears started to pour out of their eyes. Dean had met with a rather messy divorce when he had taken Angelina Johnson out on a dare three months after the Battle of Hogwarts. A few drinks in, they had gone up to Angelina's apartment and weeks later received the blue sign on a pregnancy test. Initially, they were both on board with the idea. They married, but once little Betsy came along Angelina fell into a depression and then one day left a note saying she was a lesbian and wanted a divorce so that she could go to New York and be with her pen-pal/lover. Seamus moved in to help care for the baby and never moved out. After four years of living together, the two finally came to their senses and had the wedding._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Albus and Scorpius saw this as a good time to be excused. They told the adults they were going to visit the library at Malfoy Manor because there was a section on the history of quidditch Albus wanted to see, which wasn't entirely a lie, and then they headed upstairs to gather some things?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"Will we be staying the night?" Albus peered inside the bag Scorpius brought into his room. It contained a few of his clothes, but not all of them, he noted, as well as the cards and games he brought over._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"I don't know," said Scorpius, honestly. They stood in silence for a moment, knowing exactly what the other was thinking. Here they were, two teenagers, going to tell one of their parents that the other's was going to kill them. It was surprising that either of them were even able to function. Just the thought of the dream made them sick, especially Albus, who had rushed to the upstairs bathroom after breakfast and sent his breakfast down the drain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Trying to take their minds off the terror, Scorpius changed the subject. "How are we going to get there?" he asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"I don't suppose we have a choice, do we? We can't apparate yet, so we're going to have to floo!" Albus placed his toothbrush inside his bag and Scorpius followed him downstairs to the fireplace._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"After you!" said Albus, stepping aside. Scorpius took a handful of floo powder and stepped inside, calling out "Malfoy Manor!", and a few seconds later Albus did the same._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________When they stepped out, Draco was waiting for them. Scorpius had owled in earlier, asking if he'd be home when the two arrived, but he hadn't gotten a response._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Hello, Scorpius! Miss me so much you had to come home early?" His dad beamed triumphantly, as if he was still the teenage boy who had a running rivalry with Harry Potter, and then he winked at Albus. 

Neither of them replied. Albus looked him up and down, and he saw the dark circles and unusually pale complexion. He noticed that Mr. Malfoy had also lost some weight, although it was no more than a few kilograms. _His hair's still long_ , he thought. _That's a good sign._

Albus ran and gave a very surprised Mr. Malfoy a hug. "Sorry", he mumbled, stepping away. "Long story. Good to see you, Sir!" Draco let out a small chuckle. "That's quite alright, lad. Nice to see you too, you look well. How's your old man doing?" 

___________Albus's face fell. He bit his lip, not meting eyes with Scorpius's father. Scorpius reached over and took his hand. Draco sees this and and decides not to pressure the boy. "Alright, then. Why don't you two run along to the library? Shout if you need me. My elf, Seedy can fix a snack if either of you get hungry."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________\---_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Let's face it, Al! The spell we're looking for doesn't exist. Either you heard wrong, or the dream was just a dream." Scorpius waved his wand in frustration, causing books to spin around the room. With a flick of his wand, they all returned to their respective shelves. "Let's get some rest, yeah? I'm about to fall over. We can continue later." 

Albus couldn't sleep. Not then, anyway. He felt the knot in his stomach grow tighter every moment that they went through a book and didn't find the Double "S" Spell, as they had begun calling it after the first twenty minutes. He didn't want to shut his eyes, because he was afraid of what he would see. The thoughts were flying through his head. _What if Mr. Malfoy's not the only one? What if dad uses that spell on Mum? Or Lily and James? What about Scorpius?_ He struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. Would he be the one responsible if he couldn't find out what the spell was? "You go on ahead. I'll stay in here and keep looking." 

Scorpius sat next to Albus and squeezed his hand. "I think I'll stay right here with you," he decided. He yawned and leaned against Albus. "If you want, tell my dad..." He fell asleep before he could finish his sentence, but Albus knew exactly what he needed to do. He layed Scorpius down on one of the body pillows they had surrounded themselves with. Pulling his face close to the other boy's, he whispered "I won't let anything happen to you." He remained that close for a few seconds, looking at his lips before drawing away. Had he been about to kiss his best friend? 

He wasn't able to ponder the thought for long, because the image of a dying Draco came back to him. He took one last glance at Scorpius before exiting the room and taking the stairs down to the first floor. He found Draco sitting in an arm chair studying the inscription on what looked like a wine bottle, but he could never be sure. Magical items almost always had more than one purpose. 

"It's a portkey," Draco explained, as if reading his thoughts. 

"Mr. Malfoy- I was j-justwonderingifIcouldhaveamomentofyourtime?" The words came out in a rush, and Draco frowned. 

"Come again? I didn't quite catch that, you were talking to fast." 

"Could I speak to you a moment?" 

Draco gestured to the sofa opposite his arm chair. "Shall I get you something to drink? Tea? Butterbeer? Or perhaps I can offer some buiscuits? My elves will bring you whatever you want." 

Albus shook his head no. "Mr. Malfoy," he said, looking Draco directly in the eye, "I'm so, so sorry. This won't be easy for you to hear, but if I don't warn you it'll be all my fault and I don't know what I can do to stop it, and I'm not even sure if you're going to believe me." Draco knew the look in Albus's eyes. It was the same look he saw in the mirror in sixth year right before Potter made him nearly bleed to death. The eyes of a scared sixteen year-old who was forced into vicious responsibility and could do nothing to help himself. He set the bottle down on the coffee table and moved to sit beside Albus. 

"My dad is going to use dark magic to kill you." 

Then, he broke down and sobbed silently into Draco's cloak. 


	2. Memory or Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albus and Scorpius learn something shocking from Draco. Trouble is brewing in Auschwitz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This does involve a setting in Auschwitz, but nothing graphic relating to the holocaust.

_"My dad is going to use dark magic to kill you."_

Draco suddenly felt a sickness in his stomach. He didn't know what to say. The words seemed impossible to him, yet there they were, coming from a sixth-year student. He looked down at Albus, who was beside himself, clinging to his robes and sobbing. Images flashed through his head, all of the memories he had struggled to suppress after the war. The battle, his father's trial, the day Astoria passed away. Astoria. His one true love, the mother of his child, taken from them by a curse. He was Draco Malfoy. If anyone had seen their share of dark magic, it was him. After the destroying of Delphi's scheme in Godric's Hollow, he had vowed to protect his son from dark forces for as long as he lived. Now, Albus, this boy who was practically Scorpius's brother claimed his own father was capable of dark magic. Draco knew all about how that felt. 

"What brought you to this conclusion?" His voice was calm and measured. He rubbed the boy's back and allowed him to continue crying into his robes until the tears subsided into sniffles. All those years ago, there were many times when Draco himself felt he needed a shoulder to cry on. Once Albus had finished and was sitting upright, he didn't push him for an answer and instead allowed him time to collect himself and speak. 

"I know it sounds hard to believe. Just hear me out on this one, please, Sir." 

Draco shook his head, signalling Albus to continue. 

"It started a long time ago," he began, "I used to get these nightmares. They were always the same. I was standing in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Then, you came in. You never saw me, and I don't think you could hear me either. Your hair was cut short, and you looked awful, like you had just been hit by the Cruciatus Curse. Your face was pale, you had bags under your eyes, and you were..." he trailed off. 

"I was what?" Draco asked, still maintaining his collectedness, struggling to shake the images of sixth year. It was the year he was least proud of, and for good reason. He had almost killed a man and in all his years, he hadn't been able to forgive himself for it. 

"Crying. you were crying." Albus looked away. He felt scared for a moment. He had no idea how Mr. Malfoy would react, but knew that the Malfoys prided themselves in being able to withhold strong emotions. He felt a little silly. Mr. Malfoy, crying? Maybe Scorpius was right and the dream was just that. 

This was starting to sound all too familiar for Draco, but he didn't dare let those memories return. Almost afraid to ask, he whispered "Was there anything else?" 

Albus stared ahead. He wanted to curl up in a ball and roll away, preferably somewhere out of the country. He thought of Scorpius, asleep in the library. It wasn't much, but the thought of his boyfriend gave him strength. 

"The dreams- they were always- they changed yesterday. Before, you were alone and suddenly there were flashes of light and Dad-" he gulped at the mention of his father, but continued, "Dad cast a spell I didn't recognize and that was it. Scorpius and I spent ages trying to figure out what it was, but we couldn't. Last night, there was more. It had been my dad there, dueling against you. He cast the spell and then you were lying on the floor with blood pooling out. I woke up, and I'm so, so sorry. We looked for the spell today, too. That's why we came here, but we never found it. Mr. Malfoy, I don't want anything to happen to you, which is why we need to find that spell, Scorpius would-"

"Sectumsempra" Draco said, his voice still a whisper. 

Albus was speecless. He barely nodded, and Draco pulled him into a hug. He didn't know the boy very well, even though he had been Scorpius's best friend for years. It never occurred to him how difficult it was for Albus, how similar their experiences were. They were both born into families of high esteem, raised with a certain expectation, and had been close to darkness. 

"H-how d-did you know?" Albus felt like he had been struck in the back of his head. 

"It already happened. Twenty-five years ago. We were sixth years, and I had done something really bad. Your father came to confront me about it. He didn't know what the spell would do, he was shocked after he cast it, and Snape saved me." It took all of his courage for Draco to talk about. He blinked away tears so Albus wouldn't see them. There were so many questions running through his mind. He knew about wizards having dreams involving incidents which had occurred when they were nowhere near the vicinity. He had even had a few himself, when Voldemort was in power, but they were usually recent events, and the only reason he had those dreams was because he was magically bound because of his Dark Mark. It was a way the Dark Lord has communicated with his ranks. It would take some research, but he was determined to come through for his son's friend. Harry, too, would have to be involved, but that was a thought for later. They never discussed what had happened, but he knew it gave the head Potter troubles as much as it gave him, perhaps more. 

"I keep seeing that blue light, even if I close my eyes for a second, and then that blood. All that blood." Albus clasped his own hand. 

"Hold up, which blue light?" Draco looked puzzled. Sectumsempra was a spell with an white light, not a blue one, and that was the only curse Harry had hit him with that day. 

"The- the one from the spell, of course!" Did Mr. Malfoy really not remember? 

A new look of concern washed over Draco's face, but before he could mention anything, Scorpius bounded down the stairs. "Hi Al, Dad! Just woke up! Did I miss anything?"

"I told him, Scorp," said Albus, "and I think you'd better sit down." 

Scorpius did as he was told, listening in horror as his dad recounted the day Harry Potter used the spell on him. Albus again had tears in his eyes, and Scorpius instinctively threw his arms around him, wiping the tears from his face and kissing him. Draco didn't seem the least surprised, but cleared his throat once they had gone on for a bit. Scorpius jumped back, turning a bright shade of red, but Draco smiled at the pair reassuringly. 

"I know, Scorpius. I've suspected for a long time, and I love you and support it. Your life is yours to do with what you like, and I'm just happy you picked a Slytherin" He winked at Albus, who had turned a deeper shade of red. 

Scorpius had no words. At this point, Albus buried his face in his hands in embarassment, but it was obvious that he was smiling. Scorpius went over and gave Draco a sideways hug. "Thanks, Dad. I love you and I'm glad you know about us now."

"Albus?" Draco and Scorpius both saw the troubled look on Albus's face. 

"Sorry, it's just, it doesn't make sense. Why would the colour of the light be blue?"

Draco stood and walked to the fireplace. "I think that this might require knowledge beyond our years." 

\---

Hermione was having a good day. She had finished all of her meetings early, and Ron had taken Hugo and Rose on a father-children camping trip, leaving a week for her to enjoy the immaculate condition of her house. She began humming and dusting off the furniture. Even though she was Minister for Magic, she still enjoyed doing things the muggle way. It was more fun. Besides, she thought enslaving house elves was barbaric. 

After the furniture came the windows, and then lastly the fireplace mantle. She summoned the bottle of cleaning solution from the kitchen. "Accio window cleaner!" Nothing happened. _Ron must've used it for bubble solution_ , she thought to herself. Left with no alternative, she proceeded to the next task, cleaning the fireplace mantle. As she was about to remove the photographs from atop the mantle, she was startled by the sudden crackling of the fire. 

"Why, Hello Draco! I wasn't expecting any calls this evening." 

Draco spied the rag in her hands. "Still against elves, eh? At least use magic, given that you have it." 

Hermione scoffed, "And why should I do what you tell me?" She let out a chuckle. She wasn't very good at feigning hostility, and she had grown to like Draco as a friend after he helped save the wizarding world. 

Draco threw his hands up in defeat. "Alright, anyhow that's not why I called. I think you'd better step through. Albus and Scorpius are here." 

"Oh?" said Hermione, questioningly while she untied her hair and set the dusting rag on the mantle. 

"I'll see you here." 

Moments later, the four were at the informal dining table at Malfoy Manor. Draco sat at the head of the table, with Scorpius and Albus on his left and Hermione to the right. She leafed through a rather dusty old book they had found in what used to be Lucius's section of the Malfoy library. 

 

"I have a theory," Hermione declared, "but I don't think it's good news, unfortunately.

She read out from a page. "Dreams can reflect real-life occurrences, from the present, past, and future. Very few powerful wizards have the ability to look through time, and even fewer can distinguish between the three. These types of dreams have been known to occur when history is about to repeat itself, reflecting the past events with elements of the future." She looked up. "That explains the blue light. I'm so sorry, Draco. It looks like Albus is right to be worried." 

\---

A glowing silvery orb floated through the tiny bars of one of the deepest, most heavily protected cells in Azkaban. In the corner, a dark haired female figure stood, watching the orb as it travelled to the center of the room and began to grow. 

"My Lady," the orb called out. 

"Ah, I was beginning to wonder when you'd finally get past the enchantments. Well done. I suppose you'll do, to train him, I mean." She stepped into the light, revealing her long dress tattered and the cloak she woar over it covered in holes. 

"The boy is quite strong from what I gather. His magic is still developing, but he is almost there."

The woman let out a sly smile. "If we bring him on our side, we can use his powers. I have been sending him dreams, pieces of the past, if you know what I mean, mixed with the future. I want to continue to bait him, but the link created from the one kiss will start to fade each day. I need to get out of here, but I can't until Potter and that cousin of mine are ruined."

"My lady, we are doing everything we can." 

She sniffed. "Where is he now?"

"At your Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire. He still considers me a friend."

"I know where it is, you fool! I was born there! Tell me about our preparations! I expect nothing but news of success! 

"Nothing less for you, my lady. The potion is almost ready. I shall add the lacewings soon, and I have a sample of Potter's hair at the ready." 

"You know the plan?"

"Make Potter disappear, send a letter to his family telling them where he supposedly is, kill your cousin and kidnap Potter's son." 

"Kidnap is such a strong word. I would prefer you to always say _save_. You forgot about my cousin's dear son. Make sure he sees you, but immobilize him and make sure he can't speak. He has to believe that Potter killed his father and then kidnapped his little friend. Now leave me before those ministry buffoons trace you. The light is bothering my eyes." 

"Yes, my lady." 

With that, the orb shrank and floated away. A cackling laughter followed, one that hadn't rang through Azkaban for twenty-nine years, not since Bellatrix Lestrange escaped. 

 

In another room, located in the dilapidated remnants of the prisoner barracks of Auschwitz, a man performed the three final stirs to the cauldron of polyjuice potion. He lifted the ladel to his lips and took a gulp, and then conjured a supersized flask out of the air to fill the rest before casting a shrinking charm and sticking it in his pocket. His skin pulsed, he shrank down, his hair changed color, and the infamous lightning-shaped scar appeared on his forehead. 

He waved his wand again to conjure a mirror so he could examine his face. It was perfect. His hair was messy and black, he had the signature scar, and the green eyes. He looked more Potter-like than Harry Potter himself.

"Wake up and come here, mudblood!" 

He pointed his wand at the leftmost of three bodies lying on the ground. The woman, in her early forties, suddenly jerked up and stumbled towards him. 

"Sectumsempra!" 

A blue light errupted from his wand, and the woman hit the floor again, blood spurting everywhere. He, Theodore Nott, had perfected the spell, deadlier than ever, and ready for Draco Malfoy.


End file.
